Student Shoots Sister, Himself

March 31, 1985|By Michele Cohen, Staff Writer

A Northeast High School senior, described as an average student who loved tooling around with his car and playing his saxophone, shot and killed his 16- year-old sister Saturday morning, then turned the gun on himself and died.

Jose and Xenia Migoya quarreled frequently, like typical teen-age siblings, friends and relatives said, but no one had a clue as to what provoked the murder-suicide in the working-class neighborhood, only blocks from the high school.

The two were alone in the modest, yellow house in the 5900 block of NE Fourth Avenue, in the North Andrews Gardens area when the shooting occurred. Their mother, grandmother and a family friend found them in the kitchen at 10:45 a.m. after returning from a visit to Our Lady Queen of Heaven cemetery, where their grandfather had been buried eight months ago.

A heart-wrenching scream alerted the neighbors that something terrible had happened in the Migoya household.

``They`re good kids. I can`t figure it out in a million years,`` said the teen-agers` uncle, Jose Martinez, shaking his head tearfully. ``I`m a high school teacher, and I see kids argue all the time.``

Martinez, who came to the house after hearing of the tragedy, had just spoken to the children on Wednesday. There was no hint of anything amiss, he said.

Angela Martinez, the mother, left home about 7:50 a.m. Saturday with her mother, Iluminada Martinez, 65, who lives next door. A younger brother, Danny, 14, went to church.

Xenia was on the telephone with a friend discussing plans to go to the beach when the telephone went dead, Broward Sheriff`s Office spokesman George Crolius said.

It was hours later when the friend`s mother drove by the house to find out what had happened, Crolius said.

Sometime around 10 a.m., Jose apparently pulled out a .30-30 rifle, a high- powered gun frequently used for hunting deer, and shot his sister, Crolius said. He then shot himself. Police were not sure how many shots were fired.

The mother told detectives that while her children quarreled often, she could not think of anything that could have precipitated the shooting. ``Apparently, this was totally unexpected,`` Crolius said.

The children`s mother and father were divorced, and their father lived in New York, neighbors said.

Xenia and Jose had little in common and moved in separate social circles, friends and neighbors said. Xenia had not been enrolled in Northeast High School this year or last year, according to school records.

The girl apparently hung out with a rowdy crowd and would be away from home for days at a time, a neighbor said.

In contrast, Jose was quiet and befriended mostly fellow band members, schoolmates said. He had average grades in college-bound courses, and high school counselors said he did not appear to be having any problems. Jose was looking forward to his graduation, his uncle said.

``He seemed like a happy-go-lucky kid, really,`` said Kenneth Young, 40, who lives across the street. ``He was always by himself. I never saw Jose bring anyone home -- no boys, no girls. I don`t know if he ever dated.``

Long-time family friend Rene Gonzalez called him a ``nice kid. He liked school, and he was doing great with the saxophone.``

Jose would spend hours working on his green Ford Mustang, which had wide white stripes, said neighbor Barry Boitnott.

``He used to tear out of here real quick and get moody,`` Boitnott said. ``You`d hear them fight a lot, fighting with his sister. It`s weird, because the last time I talked to them, they were getting along fine.``